Wireless break-key.



Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

G. P. MOBLEY.

WIRELESS BREAK KEY. APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1911. RENEWED NOV. 19, 1912.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2,

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6) wz ntoz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GRIIlR P. MOBLEY, 0]! SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

WIRELESS BREAK-KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 31, 1912, Application filed July 10, 1911, Serial No. 637,680.

Renewed November 19, 1912 serial No. 732,382..

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To all whom it may concern:

The invention ented, may be used. by the Government or Q any of its ofiicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to wireless ap aratus, and more particularly to a break key for the same.

The object of this invention is to provide abreak key which will obviate the necessity of having more than one aerial for the transmission and receiving of wireless messages at onestation.

A further "object of this invention-is to provide a key which will eliminate the necessity of providing a disconnecting detector, and the removal of the telephones from the head when sending a nuassage;v

Another object of this invention is to .make it possible for both sendingand receiving stations to instantly detect any interference from a third party.

A further object of this invention is to make it practically impossible for theopera-r tor to receive a shock, and. to prevent the burning out of the receiving instruments, as'

is often the case with the present apparatus. And in general it is desired to provide a break key dependable in design, and such as can be readily manufactured, and which in I use will increase the rate of transmitting messages by wireless telegraphy, together;

with many other objects which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, as this invention is more fully set forth;

There have been several types of break keys' manufactured and: put on the market,

7 which are intended jor wireless telegraphy "and to increase the rate of transmission of messages. These instruments are usually so intricate i'" design, so uncerttainbecause of the m'ultip' city of parts, the u'seof rela s, etc.,- that they are objectionable, which with herein described, if pat-- v the reliability their uncertainty, as well as because of their high cost, prohibits their use inpracti'ce.

' This invention is in general so simple that it avoids'all these objections and at the same time eliminates the necessity of separate aerials being provided for the receiving and transmitting circuits of a'wireless station,

which have been provided in the past in order to avoid the objections herein-stated.

At the same time it will be noted that the I simplicity of the design of the apparatus such that it practically eliminates any possibility of uncertainty in its action and at the same time permits itto be :made very cheaply. Further the parts are readily acthe same will be necessary, which increases in this class of work. l c

In the drawings; Figure/1 is a view in. elevation of a break key' embodying this inventio-n; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig.

1;- Fig. 3 is a modification -of the' contact points usedin this invention, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the break key as apcessible for inspection and repair, whei'iever of the apparatus and its value plied to a wireless transmitting and receivmg circuit. Dotted lines in helix indicate wiring when helix is not used.

Similar reference characters refer to 'simi- I lar parts throughout the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings which.

illustrate the construction of this invention 1 represents a suitable'insulating base block for a break key on which is mounted a jourhad 2 for: pivotally securing a-key lever 3.

This journal is preferably providedwithl v the usual type of holding screws {1, so that" the frictional resistance on the pins 5 disposed within them, that support the lever 3,

can be varied to suit the conditions.

7 is a cap or head onwhich theoperator can suitably plaj to actuate the key. Beneath the capv ortion of the lever is a contact member which is providedwith a platinum pin 9 which actuates in mercury or other suitable substance 10 disposed within the eup'll provided therefor, which is disposed on the base 1 and provided with a suitable terminal connection. 12 arranged for the securing of the circuit wires thereto.

At the other end of the lever 3 is provided an insulating block'13 that is provided with a pair-of contact blocks 8 which are pro 4 ranged to come in contact with a Z-s'fhaped' conductor 15 fastened to the base, andsli ghtly to one side of this portion of the key, and so that the piece 14; will come in contact therewith when the head 7 is depressed by the operator.

16 is a suitablebinding post disposed on the Z shaped member 15 so that the latter can be'electrically connected to the circuitwires.

' Electrically connected ,to the other contact member which is disposedon the block 13 is a flexible connection 17 that is suitably connected With the line wires of the circuit. Referring to the modification shown in the contact points, which are merely'solid pieces of met-a1, and arranged for those cona so ditions where the mercury contact is not desirable and might prove objectionable, or where it is desired to cheapen the instruments.

Whileplatinum has been referred to as the metal particularly desirable for the purpose'of making'the contact, it is .of course understood that there are metals of a similar nature that can be used for the same purpose, and also that various other contacts can be arranged for, as is Well known to those familiar with the art. i

' Referring particularly to Fig. 4, 18 is a transformer, 19 a condenser, 20represents asparkgap, 21 a helix, 22 a suitable single pole double-throw switch, that is suitably connected to an aerial 23, 24;. is .a groundwire that has a conductor connected to it that runsto the'flexible contact 17, through the fuse 25. 26 denotes the tuning coil and 27 a detector, that has suitable telephone receivers 28 connected thereto, in the usual manner.

From the diagram shown, it is understood, that the connections are made 1n "the usual manner and that it is not necessary to go into details and describe each particular part of the apparatus, as this invent-ion does not cover them in any way, otherwise than described above, and in the appended claims,

, and also that this particular system is only shown by way of example','in order to ex plain more fully the operation of this device. By suitably modifying the connections to this break key it can be connected to practically any wireless system, and prove'advantageous to use in them all. The connections arranged for the various parts ofithe head 7 of the key and causes the current to flow through the terminal 2 of the lever 3 thence to the contact member 8 and thence to the circuit connected with the transformer, so on back to the source of current.

This depression of course, energizes the transformer and sends the messages tothej aerial and to the space beyond it. As this depression of vthe key is made contact is broken between the points 9' and 10' in the members disposed at the other end of the key, these break the receiving circuit and prevent the operator from receiving the messages that he is sending out, which often is the cause of burnt up instruments, or injury to the -former,'at the same time any other messages being sent by another party are cut oil from the operator. As the outer portion of the key arises, the strip of metal 14 comes incontact with the Z shaped member 15 and the current therefrom flows through the latter, through the circuit wire, attached thereto,'which can be easily followed in the diagram, and which assists in the transmission of the message to the aerial.

When the operator permits the key' head i to rise under the action of the spring '3" which is disposed adjacent to the head 7, it brings the contact members 8' and 10' to.- gether and completes the circuit for receiving, and at the same time the circuit that re ceives the current from the main source of current at this station is opened and does not therewith.

Obviously While there is shown but one modification of the construction of this invention inthe drawings, it is not desired to limit this application for a patent inany way, otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art, as many modifications in the construction of this invention may be made without departing from the prlnciples thereof.

Having thus described this invention it is claimed:

A key for wireless telegraphy comprising 1, in combination a lever for opening and closis depressed, a base for supporting aerial when the key is depressed, and at the same time the receiving apparatus will be 15 open circuited, and when the key assumes its normal position the connections will put the receiving apparatus in circuit with the? aerial and open the transmitting circuit. 1 In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my 20 signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GRIER P. MoB'LEY.

cont-act members dispesed thereon and insulated from one another, a Z shaped member disposed above said last mentioned contact members and arranged to come in electrical contact with one of them when the key lever the various parts of said key and provided with binding posts thereon, electrically connected with the various contact points and the journal that supports the lever, said connections being arranged to open and close the main energizing circuit when the key is depressed so that messages will be transmitted to the Witnesses:

JAMES E. TWINING', HARRY CLAWSON. 

